HMS Rushen Castle

HMS Rushen Castle (K372) was a Castle-class corvette built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed in 1944, the ship escorted convoys to and from Gibraltar and the UK. After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, she served on air-sea rescue duties in British waters. Rushen Castle was reduced to reserve in 1946. She was sold to the Air Ministry in 1960 and her conversion into a weather ship was finished the following year. The ship was renamed Weather Surveyor at that time. She was sold out of service in 1977 and converted into a salvage vessel. The ship was sold for scrap in 1982 and broken up in Germany.

Rushen Castle on the River Tyne, February 1944
History
United Kingdom
Name	Rushen Castle
Namesake	Castle Rushen
Builder	Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend
Launched	16 July 1943
Commissioned	23 February 1944
Identification	Pennant number: K372
Fate	Sold to British Air Ministry, 26 September 1960
United Kingdom
Name	Weather Surveyor
Acquired	26 September 1960
Commissioned	21 December 1961
Identification	IMO number: 5387180
Fate	Sold on July 1977 and converted to a salvage vessel. Scrapped, 1982
General characteristics
Class & type	Castle-class corvette
Displacement	1,010 long tons (1,030 t) (standard) 1,510 long tons (1,530 t) (deep load)
Length	252 ft (76.8 m)
Beam	33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Installed power	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2,880 ihp (2,150 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	99
Sensors & processing systems	Type 145 and Type 147 ASDIC Type 277 search radar HF/DF radio direction finder
Armament	1 × single 4 in (102 mm) gun 2 × twin, 2 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) AA guns 1 × 3-barrel Squid anti-submarine mortar 15 × depth charges, 1 rack and 2 throwers

Design and description

The Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding Flower class, enlarged to improve seakeeping and to accommodate modern weapons. The ships displaced 1,010 long tons (1,030 t) at standard load and 1,510 long tons (1,530 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 252 feet (76.8 m), a beam of 36 feet 9 inches (11.2 m)^[1] and a deep draught of 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m). They were powered by a four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers.^[2] The engine developed a total of 2,880 indicated horsepower (2,150 kW) and gave a speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The Castles carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 99 officers and ratings.^[1]

The Castle-class ships were equipped with a single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XVI dual-purpose gun forward, but their primary weapon was their single three-barrel Squid anti-submarine mortar. This was backed up by one depth charge rail and two throwers for 15 depth charges. The ships were fitted with two twin and a pair of single mounts for 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns.^[3] Provision was made for a further four single mounts if needed. They were equipped with Type 145Q and Type 147B ASDIC sets to detect submarines by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water. A Type 272 search radar and a HF/DF radio direction finder rounded out the Castles' sensor suite.^[4]

Construction and career

Ordered on 6 February 1943, Rushen Castle was laid down at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at their shipyard in Wallsend on 8 April. The ship was launched on 16 July and completed on 24 February 1944. After several weeks of training in Western Approaches Command's Anti-Submarine Training School at Tobermory, Mull, she was assigned to Escort Group B2 on 16 March on the Gibraltar-UK route. Rushen Castle remained on this route despite being transferred to Escort Group B21 in September and then to the Liverpool Escort Group in December. The ship's last convoy reached port on 27 June 1945, even though Germany had surrendered on 8 May. Rushen Castle was then assigned to Plymouth Command for air-sea rescue duties. The ship was refitted from October 1945 to January 1946 and was then reduced to reserve at Devonport.^[5]

She received a brief refit from 24 September to 2 October 1947 when the Royal Navy was thinking to offering her to the Royal New Zealand Navy, but that service opted for larger Loch-class frigates instead. Rushen Castle was offered to the Air Ministry in 1956 for use as a weather ship, but was not sold until 23 September 1960. Her conversion was completed at Blyth on November 1961 and she was renamed Weather Surveyor. She was sold in July 1977 and converted to a salvage vessel.^[6] The ship was departed under tow on 11 May 1982 to be scrapped in Germany.^[7]